Category Archives: Inspirational Tales

The cycle of kindness, also rolls down continually, from one person, to the next, we need more stories like these, especially at this day and age! Translated…

The rain came pouring down on my exercise walk, I’d rushed into the breakfast shops to hide out, the shop owner’s mother in her seventies ushered me in, and she’d, taken out a yellow raincoat from the closets, for me to put on, her act of kindness had, warmed up my heart.

As the rain slowly dissipat4ed, as I was, about to, return the raincoat, she’d started telling me the funny things that happened to her while she was on a trip to the eastern side of the island. A couple of years ago, she’d gone to Hualien to travel during the New Year’s holidays with her family, and, the trip was a spur of the moment thing, and, she’d only worn the short sleeves and shorts, and, the cold fronts made everybody shiver, and so, they can only, run back into the cars to hide, they’d not gone anywhere.

And, a woman who was standing at the side of the road saw, she’d immediately gone home, brought a ton of clothes for them to choose from, waited until the seven, eight adults and children had, selected the thick coats and smiled and said their thank yous, they’d wanted to ask her address, so they can send the clothe back, but, the woman turned them down. She’d told them, that her kids are all grown and lived elsewhere, that the clothes were just, taking up space in her home. And, every time after that, as the family saw the clothes, they’d always, smiled on it, and, remembered the kindness from the woman, who’d given them the coats to wear.

In order to keep the love flowing, the breakfast shop also gathered some donated clothes for the comers to borrow, other than keeping the shop connected with the local communities, it’s, a way of repaying the woman for her kindness. As I’d heard, I thought, maybe I can write this tale down, or maybe, by chance, that kindhearted woman that the family met in Hualien will see, that her kindness had become, a cycle already.

And so, this, is how some random act of kindness had touched so many lives, and, by passing the kindness to the strangers that came to the breakfast shop, the owner is keeping the kindness that was shown to her and her family flowing, and we need more stories like this in the world we live in right now!

From someone’s firsthand experiences, from the Front Page Sections, translated…

Yesterday was the “No More Fears for Homosexuals Day”, the Taiwan Partnerships League had asked seven homosexual couples to share their stories with the public, and, “coming out of the closets” became the focus of the discussion.

There were over hundreds of the public who’d attended the forum, there were mothers with their children, and four members of the Taipei’s First All-Girls’ High School who came, in their school uniform, to conduct an interview. The very first gay couple who had an ad on their union, He, Wang, celebrated their third anniversary on May 19th, even bought the prepared cakes to share their joys with everybody else there.

A gay man, Lai who already received the blessings from his own father, had difficulties, coming out to his father two years ago, his father was the one who asked him if he was homosexual. Lai said, most homosexuals would hid for ten, twenty years, gained acceptance of who they are themselves, then, come out to their parents, and yet, the parents had no other choice, but to face the realities, “the parents of homosexual individuals in accepting their children, is harder than the homosexual individuals themselves; it is, a hard, and long road, taking the parents out of the closets with us.”

Lai’s father suggested that as the homosexual children come out, they’d wanted their parents to feel at ease, in the areas of health, academia, and life in general; but, coming out of the closets is only the first step, they’d still need to know and understand one another. He’d spoken truthfully, from before he didn’t interact with his son that much, when his son came out, he’d thought to himself, “Would I keep watching his backside, or, will I NOT even see the shadows he’d casted?”, after he’d accepted his son as he was, they’d become closer to one another.

Hsiang He, Tien-Ming Wang said, they’d treated one another’s parents with respect and filial piety since the very start, and so, they’d gained their supports from earlier on, and, each other’s parents and relatives had even turned into what made them so close to one another. They’d called out to the homosexuals who’d attended the forum, that they should all come out, “If you don’t come out, you’re not truthful to your own lives, you don’t take the responsibilities for yourselves, you’d interacted with your parents, through a screen.”

A physically handicapped homosexual, Vincent told, that he and his partner had introduced each other to one another’s families a very long time ago, it’s just that they didn’t tell the families that they are lovers, and the family was so grateful at how Wei-Wei is so kind to Vincent. Until once, his mother told others, “if something were to happen to Vincent in the future, ALL of his assets go to Wei-Wei, you all can’t fight him over it!”, that, was when Vincent learned, that his family had already accepted them, as a couple.

From this, you can see, that the support from the families is all too important, because families are the people whom you’re closest to, and, to disclose a part of who you are, is the hardest part, but, these homosexual couples had amazing members of their families who’d given them all the support they needed.

Last year, the volunteer for the raw materials at the March 18th student movement, Wu, saw how the donated food got dumped out because it couldn’t be finished. There were homeless people who’d come forth and asked, “if he could have some of the foods?”, and someone had turned the man away, using, “the food is for the students”, it’d made Wu empathic.

One evening, the resources group received a casing of steamy buns, Wu’s coworkers from Fair Trade Organization, Chu, Chang were able to sneak the buns to Longshan Temple. That, was their very first encounter with homeless people, and, their views of the homeless were altered completely.

Wu said, that day at Longshan Temple, he’d met an older man, who’d handed out the steamed buns for them, at eight or nine in the evenings, as the homeless had returned home to sleep after working their odds and ends, the older man kindly placed the buns next to those who were already asleep, and it didn’t play out like how they thought it would, people fighting over the food items handed out.

After being in long-term contact with the homeless, they’d understood, that the homeless don’t just lay around all day, and do nothing, seventy percent of the homeless actually have jobs, and they’d gone out, early in the morn, to work, and, it may be working at the construction sites, or, holding up signs by the side of the roads.

Chu wanted to do something for these individuals, so, she’d called up Wu, Chang, plus her coworkers, “Uncle”, “Baby”, and became the team of “the Tastes of Life”. The five youths averaging not yet 30, last July, put forth the “Stone Soup Project”, asked the online community to donate the foods that they can’t manage to finish, and the team found a chef, to cook the hot meals, so the homeless won’t go hungry.

“The Stone Soup Project” had gotten a ton of supports, and, there were local shops in Wanhua that had supplied the food sources, and they’d held over eight Stone Soup Food Sharing Activities. Not only were they trying to get the food items donated, they are also looking for more volunteers to help out, so, more people can get in touch with the homeless population.

Chu said, a lot of people wouldn’t DARE stare straight into the eyes of the homeless or handicapped people on the streets, feared that it wouldn’t be polite, “turning their heads away, they were actually, refusing to deal with the issues”. They’d hoped, that through sharing of the food, there would be more chances for people to have interactions with the people on the streets who were being ignored by the world, the next step they wished to take is toward the vendors on the streets, to get the public involved, to break the barriers, so people can understand, that even the smallest offerings can help take care of someone in need.

So, this, is how kindness starts small, and grows bigger and bigger, isn’t it? The man first felt empathic over the situations he’d encountered, which initiated a response in him, to care, and, through helping, he got to know, that he was making a difference in the lives of those who are homeless, which then became the drive, for him, to keep doing what he was doing, and, he wanted to help others to get to understand the culture of the homeless, so they can be more aware like he himself had become too.

Xin-Yun had always had her small Toyota sedan washed at the malls, and, she’d just spent the last of her twenty ticket packages. In the morning, at ten when she drove to the marketplaces, she’d passed through a certain hand-wash car wash, she though, that she could just drop her car off, walked to the marketplace, and afterwards, she could get her car back.

She’d parked the car by the side of the road, walked out, the carwash was a huge steel roof shack, about four storefronts, with three cars already parked inside, there were two stands by the door. A man of around forty years of age walked out, very thin and tall, with a dark complexion, said to her coldly, “We have a lot of customers right now, you want to get your car washed, come back at four in the afternoon.”

Xin-Yun said, “Fine!”

The man glanced over at her license plate, said, “I’ll take down your license plate, at four in the afternoon, because it’s the New Year’s, the price will increase to $450N.T.s”.

Xin-Yun thought, four more days until New Year’s Eve, it’s normal for the car washes to hike up the prices, I’ll do something else now, and, drop my car off at four, and go shopping at the dusk market place. She’d recalled how unrelenting the man who looked mean was, actually, he looked, like an awful person. She thought about the shocking events from four days ago, the shooting at the jail that alerted every member of the public, of how the six escapees all committed suicide. She thought, that maybe, the owner of this carwash is a reformed inmate who’d started his life anew.

At four o’clock, a woman was hosing a car parked by the entryway down, with her black slacks, tucked into her beige colored boots. She’d hollered toward the inside, “Someone’s here!”

That man left what he was working on, said to her, “We have too many cars today, bring it by tomorrow.”

Hsin-Yun Said, “You told me to come back at four!”

The man walked to the office, picked up a notebook, nodded toward her, said, “Give me your keys/”, then, said, in a hard tone of voice, to the women who sat, face to face, at the desk, “Nothing to do, go wipe that car dry.”

Forty minutes later, Hsin-Yun carried the bags from shopping back to the carwash again, the man was busy, told her, “Your car just had the rinse, wait forty more minutes.”

Hsin-Yun told him, “Then I’ll sit down to wait.”, she’d found a chair by the desk and sat.

This iron clad roof shack was more simplistic than ever, even the desk, the chairs, are all worn too. The man was cleaning off the windshield wiper of another car, she’d noticed, that he not only worked swiftly, and took care of the details too. The cell phone rang on the desk, the girl who was wiping dry the Hsin-Yun’s car came to get it, flipped it open, and, took it to the man’s ear. The man still busied about with his hands, said, “We can’t squeeze you in tonight, bring your car by eight in the morn tomorrow.”

Hsin-Yun said to the owner, “Boss, you have an amazing business. As the New Year’s is about to come, everybody needed her/his car washed.” He’d replied, “We’re like this regularly too.”

Hsin-Yun thought, that a hard working man, the heavens naturally blessed. The woman who was rinsing the car off, petite, with a beautiful face. The two girls who were wiping off the car, in jeans, slimly built, seeing their three faces, Hsin-Yun all of a sudden came to her senses, they’re mother and daughters, she’d misread the man of the house, it is, a family-owned carwash. The cell phone rang again, the shorter girl answered it, “Dad, it’s Mr. Lin from the watch shop.”, the owner said, “Tell him to come get his car.”

It is, a family. The two girls were wiping the water off of Hsin-Yun’s car, the shorter girl said to the taller, “Go wipe the backseat!”

Hsin-Yun saw that there was an ASUS laptop on the office desk, the two girls are probably college students, and during their winter vacation they’d helped the parents in the carwash. She’d commended them, “But, both your girls are well-rounded, beautiful too!”

The harsher the jokes, it means that more tightly-knit the family members. As Hsin-Yun left the carwash with her car, she’d lifted her head up to see the signs, “The Honesty Carwash”.

And so, this man kept his family well, and because he was able to manage his own family so very well, naturally, his business is well off too, because everything starts at the MOST basic levels, and, the most basic functional unit of the societies would be the families, and, this man treated his family well, and, the children are very well-rounded, so naturally, his business is well-off also.

Without the darkness in his past, he couldn’t have produced such inspirational works, I know, it’s odd, how someone with such a dark past, can produce so much brightness in his work, right???

But, perhaps, it’s because of ALL that darkness, that enveloped his past, that he felt compelled, to produce those works of light, who knows. One thing’s for sure though, his work had, inspired a lot of people, helped a lot of lost souls find the light.

Without the darkness of his past, he couldn’t have produced such inspirational work, he’d managed, to turn his own life around, and left it all, behind. His “former” life was filled with, a TON of uneasiness, a lot of pain, suffering, discomfort he can’t run from, and so, he’d faced them all, HEAD-ON.

And now, he’s out of the dark, and he’s using his own experiences, battling with the addictions, the pains, to help others, hoping, that his life can be something that motivated others.

It’s just, hard to imagine, that someone, whose work is filled with so much hope, so much goodness, came from this awful a past, and, after knowing this, his audience applauded him even louder, because we ALL know how hard it is, to overcome, and he did, MORE than that already!

Yuan-Xian is my high school classmate, she’s happy and upbeat, doesn’t calculate that much when she’s with others, from when she was in school, she had been an athlete, until now, she’s approaching fifty, and her love for sports still isn’t fazed at all.

In the marathon madness that this country had fallen into, Yuan-Xian had gotten outstanding marks, and became a famous celebrity in her circle of friends who also loved running. So long as we’d gone on marathons with her, we’d always heard other runners, hollering out her name with glee; and there would be a ton of her fans waiting, to take that victory photo with her at the finishing lines, it’d made me so proud to call myself her friend.

Yuan-Xian would always shared her running experiences with an optimism, hoping to get more people involved in this meaningful activity; and, when she met someone who’s depressed, she’d used her own story to encourage them, to take a step outside, because jogging can activate one’s cells, making the causes of depression dissipate, she is, a success story in how running cured depression herself.

Many years ago, because of her life changed drastically, she’d gotten too deep into herself, and couldn’t get back out, seen a ton of famous doctors, they’re of no help at all, later on, she’d gotten involved with a group of friends who loved running, in their encouragements, and supports, and took her out running, she didn’t have the time, to let her mind wander anymore. After she started running, the energetic self is back again, and since, her husband, as well as her kids, all gave her support for her running, it’d allowed her to run the races from all over, without any need to worry about her home fronts; plus, she’d shared with the other runners along the way, and can get to take in the beautiful scenes, within a year’s time, her depression was cured, without the use of medication.

And now, Yuan-Xian had been running for ten years, and started up a league of runners on her own too. Awhile ago, we’d gone to Chi-Shang, at the borderline between Hualien and Taidong for a marathon, she’d gotten the first trophy with the time of three hours fifty-nine minutes for forty-five kilometer’s distance, it was an eye opening experience for all of us, who’d gone with her, other than feeling proud of her. After she’d told us her story, we were all in awe, at her ability, to get herself out of her ivory tower, and the persistence and stamina she took to run.

And so, this, is the persistence of a woman, she’d found a cure for her own depression, without the medications, and, she’d gotten very much into this activity, running her marathons, and now, she’s lifted up her own moods, and, managed to inspire a lot of people along the way too.

A few days ago, my mother told me that Auntie Mei-Ju’s grandson was getting married, and, because the banquet is going to be in Taipei, she’d appointed me, to go with her.

Auntie Mei-Ju was the first neighbors that my parents bumped into right after they were married, and started renting the house, my father was a professional serviceman, most of the times, he’d spent, in the platoons, only on weekends or his days off could he come home, but gladly, our neighbors are very passionate, it’d allowed my mother, who’s newly wedded and away from home, adapt quickly to her life. I’d heard mom talked of Auntie Mei-Ju’s life, it’s exactly like that Japanese soap opera “Shin”. Mom said, that Auntie Mei-Ju went up to Taipei with her husband to work, but, they’d failed in their small business ventures, later on, her husband found a job as a janitor in a major hospital, and, the family of five lived, a little bit above the poverty lines. But, their ordinary life didn’t last long, one day, as Auntie Mei-Ju’s husband was headed to work, he was hit by a car, and died, back then, she was only a little bit older than thirty, and, the three kids are still in their elementary years, their predicaments are truly, heartbreaking.

But gladly, the group leader of the cleaning team at the hospital helped Auntie Mei-Ju get the job that her husband took formerly, and so, Auntie Mei-Ju got on the formal payroll of the hospital, she’d worked hard, cleaning the hospitals, after she got off at night, she’d moonlighted as a dishwasher, worked hard, to make the family’s ends meet.

Auntie Mei-Ju’s best quality is that she doesn’t nickel and dime, whenever the nurses asked her to help out with something, she’d always helped out, and be on call. Once, because a certain department head surgeon was out to a meeting, and was reminded that his car was dirty, asked her to wipe his car down for him as a favor, later on, the department head surgeon had commended her on making his car shined.

Since, there were a ton of doctors who’d asked her to polish their cars for them, and, every month, the doctors would give her the money, as they wanted to, sometimes, up to a couple of thousand dollars at a time. My Auntie Mei-Ju didn’t know a thing about investing, and just used her own wages as a janitor at the hospital, and polished the cars on the sides, and, invested money with the hospital staff, she’d worked hard, to provide for her household, and, whenever someone from the neighborhood was selling their houses, she’d gone, and bravely, make an offer. Many years later, Auntie Mei-Ju was actually able to buy three old apartments in Taipei, to allow all three of her sons to have their separate living spaces after they wed, and because they all lived close to one another, they’d looked after one another too.

Even though Auntie Mei-Ju had it hard when she was younger, but, she’d carried herself with the “hardworking mannerisms”, she’d finally turned her own life around. Maybe, it’s like my mom said, as the roads come to an end, turn back around, you can surely, find other opportunities that are available to you too.

So, this, is the success of a hardworking woman, she’d given everything she has, worked hard, and, because of her hardworking attitude, it’d gotten her the commends, and, now, she’s living easy, but, that’s not to overlook all of her hardships from before, she’s just, reaping the fruits she’d sown from previously.